At our April Meeting Wayne Bourdette will speak to us on rare and unusual orchid species including plants that new growers can have some success with. Wayne’s initial role at the Bronx Zoo began in April 1999, just prior to the opening of the Congo Gorilla Forest. He assisted in the final plantings for the new exhibit, as well as, began to supervise all the work for the indoor exhibits. Eventually, this has evolved into the managing of the day-to-day operations of the Horticulture Department.

Having grown up on the DuPont and Levitt Estates during his school years, Wayne was exposed to all aspects of both indoor and outdoor horticulture. He had the good fortune to be exposed to greenhouse crop and cut flower production and extensive outdoor formal gardens, including the opportunity to see behind the scenes operations at Longwood Gardens. Martin Viette Nursery provided the opportunity to run a retail greenhouse operation for 5 years and working with Dodds and Eder allowed for additional experience in commercial landscaping. This experience is a great foundation from which to draw on to solve some of the challenges that the Horticulture Department faces with animal and bird exhibits and public spaces. In his spare time, Wayne is an Accredited American Orchid Society Judge and travels to regional Orchid Shows. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Northeast Judging Center and Chairman at the Elmsford location.